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Cha-Ching (Till We Grow Older) (Night Visions songfic)
Song twelve of Night Visions. I don't sleep so well at night Waiting up and shivering Heater's gone and money's tight In this little home that I'm living in “No-one expected for early Autumn to be this cold!” yelped Brownstar. He was right. The crisp Autumn air in Meadowclan was colder than ice! Cloverstorm paced around Brownstar’s den. “The dens need insulating,” he muttered to himself. “Cats keep waking up in the middle of the night because of the cold!” He turned to Brownstar. “Which cats are able to work on dens?” “Dogpelt, Leopardtail, Volewing, Waterpaw, Jayrunner and Hareheart!” chirped Brownstar. “Shall I get them for you?” Cloverstorm nodded. “Yes, thank you, Brownstar.” “Great! See you in a minute!” called Brownstar. ~''' '''You've got to live your life While your blood is boiling Those doors won't open While you stand and watch them Once Brownstar had gathered every cat needed, he called Cloverstorm in his den for a private meeting. “I’ve noticed how you behave as deputy around the other cats,” he growled. “If you don’t put force upon them they will soon start to treat you lower than you actually are!” he snapped. “But I don’t think I’m ready for this!” Cloverstorm replied meekly. “After all, when Featherclan is rebuilt I will proclaim myself leader.” “But that’s the future, Cloverstorm! After all, you’re not a deputy forever!” Brownstar’s eyes glinted. Cloverstorm heaved himself to his feet. “Alright, I’ll try,” he sighed. ~''' '''Oh oh oh, What is with you? Oh oh oh, I've never seen this side of you “Listen up!” he snarled at the cats outside the den. “You are gathered here to do an important task: insulating the dens so cats don’t get frostbite and have to have their paws amputated!” A few cats laughed, and Cloverstorm felt warm inside. “First,” he snarled again, pacing around the huddle, “You are to gather moss and clay from the river nearby and bring it here. Then,” he said, eyeing them steadily, “You will efficiently insulate all ''of the dens. Step a toe out of line and no food until the full moon.” A few cats quivered in fear. “P-please, s-sir,” stammered a black apprentice, “Why are you suddenly so intimidating?” Cloverstorm purred and licked his chest embarrassedly. “As deputy, I had to toughen up. Now get moving!” he barked, and the cats scattered in all directions. It felt good to be the boss. '~''' Oh oh oh, What is with you? Oh oh oh, I've never seen this side of you “Great!” meowed Cloverstorm a few hours later. “That’s more than enough. Now, Waterpaw will work on the elders’ den. Hareheart can probably do the nursery by himself. Dogpelt can do the apprentices’ den, Volewing can do the warriors’ den with Leopardtail, Jayrunner can insulate the entrance of the medicine den, and I will happily insulate Brownstar’s den and make it nice and cosy.” The cats went to their separate jobs, and Cloverstorm was left working on the leaders’ den with Brownstar. “See?” Brownstar purred. “Told you that if you put your back into it, cats will listen to you.” Cloverstorm had to admit, Brownstar was right. Perhaps he could be a deputy after all. ~''' '''We are all living Till we grow older You be the worker I'll be the soldier “Done!” yowled Cloverstorm. Brownstar took a step back. “Great Starclan, Cloverstorm, you didn’t need to be so loud!” “As deputy, I have to be loud,” joked Cloverstorm. Brownstorm sighed. “You have a point. So when are you rebuilding Featherclan?” Cloverstorm stopped dead in his tracks. He had never thought about that. ~''' '''I never hear those sounds that sing to me Cha ching, cha ching, cha ching-a-ling “When are you going to start? It’s a big task, Cloverstorm,” Brownstar repeated. Cloverstorm hesitated. “Maybe in a few days time.” “What?” shrieked a she-cat. “That’s way too short!” “In a few days time is my final answer!” snapped Cloverstorm. The cat fell silent. “Well,” meowed Brownstar silently. “You’d better get a move on, Cloverstorm.” ~''' '''I never hear those sounds that sing to me Cha ching, cha ching, cha ching-a-ling “First thing first is cats,” yelled Cloverstorm on the Meadowrock. “We need warriors to help keep the clan alive! Like when my father rebuilt Meadowclan, his dead clanmates went into Twolegplace to find recruits. I am taking the cats who helped me on the dens this morning. Now get ready and prepared, say goodbye; we’re leaving on the full moon.” “Alright, Cloverstorm,” the cats chorused. Cloverstorm beamed with confidence. He was going to be the finest leader the clans had ever seen. ~''' '''I don't think it's quite the same Just running out to feel the rain The sky was clear on the dawn that Cloverstorm and some others set out to twolegplace. “I was born in twolegplace,” sighed Cloverstorm. “Cool!” piped up Waterpaw. He was the same black apprentice who was scared of him a few days ago. “Hopefully we will be able to get some cats,” said Cloverstorm determinedly. “I bet you anything that there will be lots of willing young cats.” “Your deputy position!” yelled a cat. The others laughed. “No,” Cloverstorm snapped. They all laughed. Staring as the stars parade Are they telling me it's gonna be okay? “What if there are no cats who want to come?” asked Leopardtail, a timid young she-cat. “There will be,” Cloverstorm reassured her. But then he lost confidence. What if rebuilding Featherclan would be a failure? Was this journey really worth the time and effort? ~''' '''You've got to live your life While your blood is boiling “Wake up!” hollered Cloverstorm. “Hopefully we’ll be there by midday.” Around him the cats groggily woke up. “Do we have to go now?” complained Jayrunner. “Yes,” snapped Volewing who was lying nearby. “Deputy’s orders.” Cloverstorm cast him a a grateful glance. He was finally getting cats on his side. Those doors won't open While you stand and watch them “My paws hurt!” moaned a cat. Cloverstorm was too determined to reach twolegplace to see who it was. “I’m starving!” screeched another. “We’ll feel better at twolegplace,” reassured Cloverstorm irritably. “Now please stop whining.” ~''' '''Oh oh oh, What is with you? Oh oh oh, I've never seen this side of you There was an outburst of complaints. Cloverstorm tried to block out the sound. How much longer was it going to be like this? ~''' '''We are all living Till we grow older You be the worker I'll be the soldier “Finally here,” Cloverstorm sighed to himself as he stood on the edge of twolegplace. He breathed in the familiar scent of his first home. Perhaps I will get to see my grandmother too. He marched through the silent streets. “First, we go to a residential area,” he informed them. “Seek out any cat that may be living there, and convince them to join. Go in pairs. Meet here at sunset, and we’ll get something to eat. Now go.” The cats rushed up to pair with each other, and Cloverstorm found himself stuck with Waterpaw. “Where do we go first?” he asked quickly. Cloverstorm scanned the paths leading in all different directions. “There,” he meowed, flicking his tail in the direction of a quiet, prim row of twoleg dens. “There’s bound to be cats there, bored of leading soft lives. Lets go!” And he raced Waterpaw through the houses. A few cats’ heads poked over walls of wood and stone. “Let all cats gather for a word of warning of our fate!” he yowled, not caring what he said. “The Prophet has told me of a new life, free of work and boredom!” Of course Cloverstorm knew nothing of a ‘prophet’, he just wanted to get some cats’ attention. Just as expected, cats crawled out from the shadows, some plump, some skinny, and one extremely obese! ~''' '''I never hear those sounds that sing to me Cha ching, cha ching, cha ching-a-ling “If I find a stranger lurking ‘round these parts, they’re gonna get it nice an’ proper,” squawked the obese she-cat. Waterpaw laughed, and Cloverstorm smacked the young apprentice around the head. “Ow,” he muttered darkly. “Now,” the she-cat hissed, thrusting her muzzle against Cloverstorm’s face, “Who is this prophet and why did he send you, and what does he have to say?” Cloverstom hesitated. “He comes from a land from the sky. The spirits of dead loved ones have wings like birds and carry gold sticks around.” He prayed that the cats would believe him, being the dumb blobs that they were. “God!” shrieked a cat. “This cat has been sent from Heaven!” The fat she-cat gasped in shock. “My name is Ellie,” she purred. “Take us to this place that the prophet has promised us.” ~''' '''I never hear those sounds that sing to me Cha ching, cha ching, cha ching-a-ling That went well,” scowled Waterpaw. “Convincing a bunch of loonies that we were sent from a place called ‘Heaven’.” “Maybe they’re religious,” pointed out Cloverstorm. Waterpaw snorted. “I doubt it.” ~ “Mission accomplished!” cheered Cloverstorm as he met up with the other cats. “We’re ready to go home!” He looked around the meeting place. Cats of all ages and sizes were mingling together. “We did good,” whispered Volewing. “You’ll make an excellent leader for these cats.” “I will,” nodded Cloverstorm. “Featherclan will be returned to its former glory.” ~''' '''We are all living Till we grow older You be the worker I'll be the soldier The next day at dawn, when every cat had been fed and watered, they set off back home. It’s a shame I couldn’t see Birdnose’s mother again, ''thought Cloverstorm regretfully. ''But she hates me, so it wouldn’t have been worth it. “Everything okay back there?” he shouted behind him. “Everything’s fine!” yelled back the clan cats. “Nothing to worry about, Clover''star.”'' Cloverstorm laughed. “I’m not leader yet,” he purred. “But you will be!” called out Waterpaw. “He knows that, fleabrain!” snarled Leopardtail. “But I was reminding him,” pointed out Waterpaw innocently. “He might have forgotten.” Cloverstorm purred to himself. Waterpaw reminded him of himself when he was a kit, curled up against Birdnose’s belly. It was a shame she wasn’t with him now. ~''' '''I never hear those sounds that sing to me Cha ching, cha ching, cha ching-a-ling “We’re not doing anything,” moaned a cat later that day. “All we’re doing is walking.” Another cat sighed. “Lets tell stories.” “Yeah!” a cat exclaimed. “Like how the cat leading us met the prophet!” Cloverstorm smiled to himself. It was too far into the journey for these cats to turn back, so why not tell them the truth now? “There is no prophet,” he meowed softly. “We tricked you so you could come with us. However, the place we’re taking you to is this so called ‘Heaven’, but it hasn’t been made yet. It needs cats to work, otherwise there is no point having it.” “He’s right,” meowed Ellie. “We have to work for what we want now. We are wild!” she cheered, and the cats cheered alongside her. ~''' '''I never hear those sounds that sing to me Cha ching, cha ching, cha ching-a-ling “So, wild cat,” Ellie purred, “What do we do when we get there?” “We rebuild the camp - that’s where we will live - and hold a naming ceremony so we can get warrior names. I then announce a deputy, that’s a second in charge, and a medicine cat to heal illnesses and injuries.” “Wow!” breathed Ellie, “So interesting!” “But there’s a lot to learn,” Cloverstorm warned her. “And my name’s Cloverstorm, by the way.” “I’m ready to learn,” growled Ellie determinedly. “I’m ready for a better life.” ~''' '''We are all living Till we grow older You be the worker I'll be the soldier Cloverstorm bowed his head at the cats returning to Meadowclan. “You are loyal and hardworking, and I am grateful of you for helping me on this mission. I could never have done it alone.” “You’re very welcome, Cloverstorm,” purred Volewing. “We hope to see you at the next gathering. I can’t wait to see your deputy!” And with that, they vanished into the dense forest. “There are other groups of cats?” Ellie squeaked. “Yes, but they don’t attack us and steal food. Everything will be explained in detail when we’ve settled.” It’d better,” growled Ellie quietly. “Because I have no idea of what’s going on." ~''' '''I never hear those sounds that sing to me Cha ching, cha ching, cha ching-a-ling “Where do we go now?” asked Ellie. “I honestly don’t know,” admitted Cloverstorm. True; he had spent most of his life in Meadowclan. “We just have to wonder around. I guess the camp used to be in the centre, so thats where we will go first.” “Then lets go!” squealed Ellie. “I can’t wait to see where we’re going to live!” And Cloverstorm couldn’t wait to see his old home. ~''' '''I never hear those sounds that sing to me Cha ching, cha ching, cha ching-a-ling Ellie and the others crashed through the ferns and into the camp. She gasped in shock. “I didn’t expect it to look like this!” “It hasn’t been used for a long time,” Cloverstorm reminded her. “But still,” Elllie panted. “I expected it to be nicer.” “Well if you want it to be nicer,” suggested Cloverstorm, “We’d better start working on it, shouldn’t we?”